Define: Narcissus
by Jadely
Summary: A battle with Cronus leaves Neil seriously hurt, and the team shook up. But as usual, Cronus has something up his sleeve- This time, its to mess with Neil's mind. NxT, minor AxA
1. Carrot Cake

**A/N: **Alrighty, first thing first, this isn't a JT fic. If you don't like the idea of Theresa and Jay not being "Together", then this probably isn't something you'll like. That's cool, though. Just please don't spend three hours telling me that in a review. There'll be some small AA stuff, too. And no, I'm not trying to bash lovable Herry.

**Disclaimer:** Nope. Not today. Not tomorrow. Probably not Saturday either.

* * *

"Achoo!!"

Knowing all too well what was coming, he closed his eyes, beginning to count slowly in his head. _"One... two..."_

"A-a-achoo!" The familiar sneeze rang through the dark, sleeping house.

Neil sighed but didn't bother looking up from his magazine; he knew exactly who had been keeping him up. "You've deprived me of an hour and a half of my precious my beauty sleep, you know." He flipped a page. "Not to mention the amazing dream I was having earlier."

The figure slumping slowly down the stairs laughed for the first time that night. Grasping at the wall railing unsuccessfully, her foot slipped and almost in slow motion, she felt gravity pull her foreword.

**_T-Thump._**

Neil looked up, half startled, half grinning.

"Owww…" A quite groan came from across the room. Neil airily stood, tossing the magazine he had skimmed through at least twice now on to the kitchen table. He strode towards his jumbled friend, who lay in a mess at the foot of the stairs.

"Geez, and I thought Cronus needed work on his entries," he began playfully, helping the sleepy teen to her feet. "Do you have a name for that amazingly graceful move?" She grumbled under her breath, working on re-gaining her balance rather than acknowledging the model's besetting jests. Neil mock gasped. "Brilliant! I simply _must_ learn it and make it the next biggest show on the runway!"

She groaned. Pushing off the wall for support, she sat herself down and let her head roll onto the table. "Augh, I haven't beend dis sick in a long dime." She placed two fingers on her temples.

Slipping into a seat across from her, Neil studied what he could see of her tired, pale face for a minute. The usual twinkle in her eyes was absent, dark circle running under them instead. Her shoulders slumped sluggishly and her hair was tangled. This was not the Theresa he knew. "You need some tea," he decided. He searched the cupboards for moment, emerging with a flowery kettle hanging loosly in his hand and a sour look painted across his face. "Where the heck did we get this tacky thing from?"

"Herry picked it dup ad' a garage sale. Said it'd reminded him of his farm."

"Well, it reminds me of something from a Mother Goose story book." He filled the kettle and plugged it in. "And I think we should give it back before we start getting complaints from them. Hungry?" he asked, turning to the fridge.

"No... Don't have much of an'd appetite." As the light from the fridge spilled into the kitchen, her hands flung to shield her eyes. When she heard it click shut, again only the pale light from the moon came in through the window. Neil sat down and placed a bowl of blueberries in front of him. They sat silent for a moment, Neil eating his fruit, Theresa face down on the table, slowly drifting off to sleep until the high pitched squeal of the kettle jolted her up.

Neil stood and unplugged the demanding kettle. Taking two cups, he dropped a tea bag in each and filled them with the boiling water. "Dust a bit of milk and ugar," she mumbled, propping up her forearm on the table and placing a palm on her cheek to support her head in a sad attempt to keep her awake. He looked back at her suspiciously, about to question how she thought she could get away with turning him into her personal waiter. But seeing her face slowly slide out of her hands back to that fated spot on the table, he took pity.

She said a quiet thanks when he turned to hand her one of the cups. "Mmm... perfect." She took another sip before continuing. "I don't sound like an elephant anymore either!"

He flashed a genuine wink. "Couldn't expect anything less from me."

She grinned and happily finished the rest of her tea. Realizing that he hadn't even tasted his yet, Neil took a small sip. Although he hadn't really felt like tea, he hoped it would help him get back to sleep later on. _"Sleep…" _he groaned inwardly. Bored with his own repetitive thoughts of sleep and last season magazines, he thought for once it might not be half bad to talk about something other than himself.

"So, what made you risk coming down the stairs in your condition?"

She stuck her tongue out at him, and in the soft light, her eyes gently twinkled. "Couldn't sleep."

"No kidding?" He cocked one very well manicured eyebrow playfully. "Me neither."

"Ha ha." She rolled her eyes, absently mindedly sliding her tea cup around the table. "Its not just my cold. Just… some thinking."

"Jay?"

Her fingers automatically stopped pressing the cup this way and that, instead locking up and sliding under the table as if to hide from him, from the thought; from everything. The twinkle was gone. She shifted uncomfortably and looked away, knowing he was giving her "the look." Wouldn't Neil of all people simply make fun of her like the others? _"There she goes again, obsessing over that poor boy."_

It gave her the same frustrated feeling as nails on a chalkboard, although she knew their joking was in good humor. She was sick of getting made fun of by everyone. Time after time she had tried talking to Jay, to spark a flame, maybe even get things back to how they used to be. She used to love talking with him and listening to what he had to say, even if it was small stuff.

_"He used to be at least slightly open..."_ she mused sadly. "_But lately, either he has something better to do, or our conversations somehow shift towards something Cronus related. It's so... so…" _She quickly bit her cheek to stop any tears from forming.

Curious as to where the sparkling Theresa had suddenly vanished to, Neil let his head drop to eye level with her, which was just above the table as her head had sunk lower in thought again. He could see in her eyes that her mind was elsewhere.

As much as she wanted it to be there, the flutteries and butterflies she had when they first met were gone, gone, gone, and she felt like a little schoolgirl trying desperately to catch them again. She was tired of it.

"...Theresa?"

Tired of listening to the others telling her to give up, although she knew they were right.

"Theresa??"

Annoyed with her failing attempts to push on something that was barely, if even at all, there. Sick of-

"Theresa!!" She jumped. Neil was desperately waving his hand in front of her face. "Phew! Thought I lost you there for a minute." She laughed bitterly and looked away, running a hand through her hair. "Oh, c'mon Reese, I didn't mean it like that!" He paused, waiting for a reaction. When none came, he continued with a sigh. "Look, I've never known you to mope over a guy, and I don't expect you to start now, do you hear me? C'mon, you're the tough fighter chick! You can handle anything that comes your way!"

She laughed, despite herself. "Lookie here, this coming from Neil! What is the world coming to? My, he hasn't checked his complexion in a whole," she paused to look at the clock. "Twenty-one minutes!"

"You're right!" He whipped out an imaginary mirror and began fussing with his only slightly messy hair. "What ever shall I do if my press decides to show up in the middle of the night?" He flashed his signature grin at her and she laughed.

_Laughter... _

_"Yeah, we're heroes and we have responsibility..."_ Fixing her eyes on the wind moving through the trees outside, she frowned._ "Heck, we're fated to save the world. But there doesn't always need to be a serious air with the team, which I see Jay pushing on the us more and more as he digs himself deeper into this Cronus hole."_ When was the last time she had just let loose laughing? When was-

Seeing her eyes drain and her head slowly sink down again, he intervened.

"Ah! Ah ahh!" He apprehensively leaned across the table and took hold of her shoulders, shaking her. "Oh no you don't! Get your thoughts outta' the negative non-happy stuff I know you're thinking," he scolded as though he had heard her every thought.

Surprised, she gaped blankly for a moment at how how seemed to know what was going on in her head. She shook her head slowly, smiling. _"Didn't think I would be that readable..."_

"I'm serious here!" He sunk back into his chair, snapping his fingers across his face in his goofy try-too-hard style. "Don't you go there girlfriend! Uh-uh!"

And suddenly she remembered why she had come to enjoy Neil's company so much. She could relax around him and have a good laugh when she really needed it, not an awkward chuckle that stung her with a sinking feeling afterwards. Over time, it seemed as though they had come to an unspoken understanding of each other. He would simply smile or swat back at her when she poked fun at him, showing he took no true offence. Despite the fact that Neil could have his… moments, she still respected him and appreciated their friendship. Surprisingly, she found that there was even something about him she had come to relate to, although she could never quite put her finger on it.

Digging into a pocket, Neil pulled out a coin to wave in front of her. "Penny for your thoughts?" Taking it slowly from his hand, she placed it on the table and sighed.

"I've done everything I can think of to loosen him up, to get him to notice me. You guys know that. Nothing is working… it's, it's like he's addicted to Cronus!" She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "I mean, sure, sure, he's the leader and all he wants is the best for us but I just can't get through to him anymore! He doesn't even see my trying to-" her voice cracked, and she let loose a violent cough.

Neil cringed. "You need more tea."

In seconds, another cup of steaming tea was placed before her. Sipping slowly, she savored the warmth and attempted to calm her mind. The look in the blonde's eyes told her to go on. "I'm tired of it Neil. He's going to have to find someone as determined as him to defeat that man to make a relationship last... I'm just wasting my time! What's the point anymore?" Her arms flung across her chest defiantly, seemingly daring him to object.

Neil, however, felt no reason to object. This was definitely unexpected, but a pleasant surprise none the less. She had _finally_ made her mind up to follow her senses. _"You'd think the sixth one might do her some justice here, but noooo,"_ he sighed inwardly. At first, everyone had figured the two would end up together, but when Jay had suddenly taken to Cronus so seriously, everyone shared that sinking feeling. The guessing game was getting old; especially for Theresa. She had dropped him all the clues she could come up with and waited for a response, but it just wasn't there.

Shoving the thought aside, a smug grin crossed his face. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

She looked up at him with a relieved smiled and sighed. "You have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest. I can't believe how many people say I should go after him, but the next minute tell me it's not worth it."

He locked his fingers and extended them before him, cracking each one as though he were an old pro in the matter. "I'm a pretty straight up guy." Holding his chin high, his voice deepened. "Now that you've made your choice, there's no going back. Got it? Remember: His loss, right?"

"Yes, Dr. Phil," she laughed, trying to make herself sound serious. "Since when did you become a physiatrist?

He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders innocently. "What can I say? When you're this good, these things come naturally."

She chuckled lightly, sliding the coin back at him. "Now, penny for your thoughts?" Theresa asked, wanting to stay off the subject.

He took a sip of his tea, letting his eye quickly catch hers. Despite all her tiredness, Theresa felt a chill run down her spine. _"Just what goes on in that mind of yours anyway?" _

After a long moment of what looked to be silent contemplation, Neil finally spoke. "I've really been thinking lately..." he placed both his hands under his chin. Letting his eyes intently survey her own, he placidly stretched out the moment as long as he could, all for the sake of driving her crazy inside, which he knew he was accomplishing quite well.

"Odie seriously needs a hair cut."

Baffled, she eyed him. "W-what?"

"Really, that volume of hair on one head worries me! You know, I bet if he really wanted to he could use his hair as a storage compartment! I wonder if he keeps anything in there..."

She shook her head, and with it, the mysterious feeling that had momentarily captured her. "Neil, you worry me sometimes."

Neil had decided to have another cup of tea and was up fixing it when he heard a thumping of feet coming from the stairs. The sound echoed through the room, until Theresa, who had almost fallen asleep at the table _again_, looked up sleepily.

"Who's that?" she asked rubbing her eyes.

"Mmmm… cake…"

They exchanged tired and confused looks. The thumping of feet echoed through the kitchen, louder and louder, until a tall, dark figure slumped into view. It stood there lazily for a moment, breathing deeply.

"Herry…?" Theresa asked as she stifled a yawn. "What are you-?"

"Carrot cake." His stomach growled demandingly.

Neil jumped up, squinting into the dark to get a better look at him. "Those have got to be the ugliest pajamas I've ever seen! Yeesh, I know what I'm getting you for Christmas this year." He laughed lightly at his own joke. "Herry?" Ignoring the blond completely, Herry walked past him and straight into the cupboard. He let out an annoyed groan, then fumbled toward the fridge. He opened it, and after shielding their eyes, they realized that he was, in fact, sleepwalking.

They looked at each other and laughed. Neil walked toward him, still snickering, and waved his hand back and forth in front of his face. No response. He poked his cheek and instinctively jumped backwards, barely missing the hand swatted in his direction. Deciding he had had his fun, Neil took his tea and sat down. They watched as Herry continued groping around the fridge for a few moments, finally emerging with left over birthday cake in his hands and a dopey grin plastered across his face.

"Boy, Archie isn't gonna' be too happy about that," Theresa whispered as she watched him clomp past them and back towards the stairs, all the while chuckling witlessly. "That's the last of his cake. Shouldn't we help Herry back up the stairs?"

"I'm sure he's very well acquainted with the path." He looked back at her. She stifled a yawn.

"Yeah, I guess it's not a good idea to wake up someone while they're sleepwalking. Especially Herry... For his sake I'm hoping he doesn't get a cake stain on the carpet up there; Athena will personally slaughter him."

Neil tried to finish his tea, but found he didn't want it at all this time. He simply took to stirring at it lazily while he held back yawns. Finally he asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Theresa looked up. "About Jay?" She wrinkled her brow in thought. "Nothing. I'm not going to do anything." A smile slowly crept across her face. She didn't need to explain. She knew he understood, and they left it at that.

When Neil stood and placed their cups in the sink, Theresa decided she was ready for bed. But upon actually standing, it hit her that she was much more tired than when she had first come down. She took a step, but her head spun, and she felt dizziness overcome her. The next thing she knew, she found herself on the floor with her friendly neighborhood model standing above her, a cocky grin plaster across his face.

"You're getting good at this." She shook her head, fighting to keep her eyes open. As she attempted to pick herself up, she suddenly felt herself being lifted off the floor. Surprised, she looked up finding herself held gently against Neil's chest.

"Neil?"

"You know, you are just fabulous at this! The runway would love you! I should talk to some people, maybe get you signed up. I mean, with moves like this in the industry, I might actually have some competion for once."

She squirmed, her eyes still wanting desperately to close. "Its fine Neil, I can… get… up..."

He felt her breathing begin to slow and watched as her eyes fluttered closed. She stopped squirming and slowly her head rolled onto his chest. He grinned down at the beauty in his arms, glad she was too tired to put up a fight. Cautiously, he padded his way through the dim room towards the stairs.

As he stepped up the stairs, he heard the toilet flush. "_Man, I'd love to see the look on Jay's face right now."_ When he reached the top, the door opened and Herry stepped out with a toothbrush in his mouth. Neil found himself slightly disappointed yet rather amused all at the same time.

"... Neil?" The toothbrush slid out of the brawn's gawking mouth.

"What'cha doing?" Neil smirking.

"Me?" he started, still gawking. "I'd like to ask you the same thing!"

"Nuh-uh, I asked first."

"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, one minute, I was having this awesome dream about an all you can eat dessert buffet, the next I woke up with this cake all over my face." He pointed his toothbrush at the sleeping girl in his arms and grinned. "Now, what's up with this? Is she okay? Or is it something I should know about?"

He chuckled, not sure whether or not to tell him about his sleepwalking. "No, she just fell asleep. She's already fallen down the stairs, and she'd most likely wake everyone up trying to crawl back up them."

"Sure. Well, I'm goin' back to bed." He stuck the toothbrush back in his mouth and mumbled a "G'night," before disappearing into his room.

Neil stood in the dark hallway, grinning. _Mental note: Keep camera with me at all times._

Deciding that it was time for him to get back to dream land, he turned to Theresa's room and pushed the door open with his knee. Laying her carefully on the bed, he plopped down to catch his breath. She wasn't very heavy, but he was no Herry, either. In that moment, he would have preferred to collapse right there.

"You'd better be over your cold tomorrow." Feeling the cool night air drift in from her open window, he threw a quilt over her and she sighed happily. "Three days of being sick has _got_ to suck." He watched her for another moment, almost feeling like time had stopped. Before he realized it, he gingerly, _indeliberately_ swept a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his finger run softly down her cheek. "_Girls are... kinda pretty when they sleep_…" he smiled lightly. Realtiy quickly caught up with him and slapped him across the face, making him shake his head and head for the door. "_I mean, hot. Yeah, that's what I meant." _He sighed.

_"You're Neil, not Romeo. C'mon."_

Slipping out the door, he turned for one last thing. "Sweet dreams 'Reese… Sweet dreams."


	2. Morning Scenarios

"Most interesting…" Cronus thoughtfully stepped down from the cliff overlooking his spy pool. The image of Neil gently kissing Theresa's forehead replayed over and over in his mind. "Maybe that fool is beginning to realize it's possible to love more just than himself." He furrowed his brow as he walked toward the main hall. The dark shadows engulfed his figure greedily when he walked into them, weaving through the fabric of his tunic. Even once out of them, they seemed to latch onto him pleadingly, but filtered out as the faint light cast over him again.

The giants, who had been idly standing around, sulked back at the entrance of their master, and watched with horror as the slivers of shadows removed themselves from him; he was thinking. They stood silently, watching him pace the room then finally settle into his chair. He looked at them and rested his chin in his palms. Expecting a mouthful of complaints, they stood fidgeting and uneasy, but heaved a sigh of relief when he grinned deviously and stood back up.

"This will prove to be most interesting." His audience nodded blankly, then looked at each other, hoping for answers. "I think it's time we went to see our young friends."

\\

"Who's up for an early morning run?" Jay stood patiently in the hallway, expecting at least one of his teammates to dash out of their rooms with jogging suites and bright smiles. He waited a moment. Not even a sound. "Guys?" _Odd. I thought at least Atlanta would be out by now._

He walked over to Theresa's door and knocked. "Wanna come for a run?" he called through the closed door. Again, not receiving an answer, he opened it. She was fast asleep. "Theresa?" He shook his head. _Better not even bother. She's a heavy sleeper._

He closed the door quietly and walked to Odie's. "Hey Odie, feel up to a-"

The door swung open suddenly, catching him off guard. Odie stumbled out and groaned, his eyes only half open. "Sorry, man," he started. "I was up pretty much all night playing my newest game. Count me out." Before Jay could protest, Odie was in the bathroom running the water.

_Surprise, surprise._

Next, he walked to Herry"s room and opted to open the door without knocking. He peered into the room, unable to see anything. "Herry," he called into the darkness. He could hear him mumbling something in his sleep, but couldn't make out any of the words. Deciding to wake him up, he walked in and instantly regretted it. His foot step into something soft and mushy.

"What the heck?" Looking down, he strained in vain to see what he had stepped in. Fingering the wall for the light switch, he flicked it up and looked around. His mouth fell open.

"Herry, what they heck were you doing last night!?" Cake was smeared all over the side of his bed stand and the floor. A look of disgust overtook Jay's face. "That's disgusting, man! You're going to have to clean this up real soon. Preferrably before Athena's O.C.D. 6th sense kicks in and she stops by for one of her 'visits.'" He grabbed a Kleenex, hopped out, wiped his foot with one last unpleased expression, and then turned to Neil's room.

Before he stepped in, he scanned the floor thoroughly. Relieved to find that it was in its usual, spotless state, he walked towards the bed. "Neil, are you going to come on the run?" He bent down and shook his shoulder. "Neil, c'mon, get up."

"What is with you people and ruining my amazing dreams," he wined sleepily as he turned his back to the impatient leader. "Go away."

He shrugged. _Oh well, I'd rather not have to put up with his grouchy, morning mood._ _I bet Arch will be up for a run._ He walked out, shut the door and strolled casually towards Archie's room. Knowing he was a heavy sleeper too, he opened the door and walked up to the bed. "C'mon, Arch. Time for a run!" He groaned and pulled his sheet over his head.

"What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"7:00 am."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"C'mon, you of all people have got to want to go!" Stubbornly, he grabbed his pillow and swung at Jay, then placed it too, over his head.

_Why isn't anyone getting up? Was there some sort of party I didn't know about last night? _He stood for a moment in thought. _I guess that would explain the mess in Herry's room. _He knew just what to do in a situation like this.

"Okay, Archie. I hope you don't mind if me and Atlanta go together then." He walked out of the room, leaving the door open.

"Hey Atlanta, ready for the morning run?" He could hear shuffling coming from the other side of her door. He waited a moment. He grinned when he heard Archie get out of bed, too.

"Sure, Jay," she stepped out in her light jogging suite with a bottle of water in her hand. She looked around, confused. "Hey, where's everyone else?"

"Oh, I don't think anyone else is coming. I guess it's just _you and me_," he replied, directing the last bit more towards Archie's room than to Atlanta.

"No, wait!" Came a muffled voice from Archie's room. "I'll be out in a minute!" Jay laughed lightly and sighed. _Works every time._

"What's so funny?" Atlanta asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing." Within a minute, Archie stood before them in his jogging suit. He shot Jay a look that said, '_nice try,'_ then smiled at Atlanta.

"Are we set to go?"

"We are now," Jay replied with a satisfied smirk.

\\

Odie stepped out of the bathroom and rubbed his eyes. "What was I thinking? Three hours of sleep is _not_ enough to function on," he mumbled dryly, relishing the feeling of the warmth coming from the bathroom. "As addicting as that game is, I'm not doing that again." He shook his head fiercely, causing his hair to poof out, then return to its normal size. _Much better. _When he turned to the stairs, he realized how unusually quiet the brownstone was. "Oh c'mon! Was I the only one that didn't go on the run?" He thought he had roughly heard Jay and Atlanta talking, but hadn't been able to hear anyone else through the running water.

He walked over to Herry's door and knocked on it. "Hey, Herry, you in there?"

"Yeah," came the tired reply. "Don't come in though. Just gimmie a sec."

"That's alright. I'll meet you downstairs. I'm gonna get me some coffee."

"Since when do you drink coffee?" He turned to see Theresa exit her room with her house coat in her arms.

"Since I decided it would be fun to stay up half the night playing video games. It works, all right. But I hate the way it tastes, and it cuts back on my chances of gettin' any taller." He shook his head sadly, sending tiny beads of water flinging through the air, then continued. "Why didnt you go on the run? Still not feeling any better?"

"No, actually. I'm feeling alot better. And no one woke me up for the run," she replied as she walked into the bathroom. "I'll meet you guys in a bit for breakfast. Gotta beat Neil to the hot water." Before he could say anything, the bathroom door had closed and Herry's opened. He walked out with a pail of dirty water and a cloth.

"Coffee sounds good about now," he said dryly as he closed the door.

"Oh, you're telling me," he placed a hand on his hip, loosing his saucy tone when he spoke again. "Hey Herry, do... you know how to make coffee?"

"No. Don't you?"

"Uhh… well…"

Herry sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I can't believe that you of all people don't know how to make coffee! Don't you drink it all the time?"

"No!" Odie shot back defensively. "Only when I need it. And usually I just pick it up from a coffee shop. I guess we'll have to wait till Theresa is out of the shower. She knows how to make it."

Neil's door suddenly flung open and he poked his head out. "Theresa is in the shower?" Herry nodded his head and grinned.

"She beat ya to it, Neil."

"Oh, no. No, no, no! She'll take all the hot water! I can't have a cold shower!" He fell to his knees dramatically and grasped at his hair. "Do you know what that will do to my hair?" A faint laugh was heard from inside the bathroom amongst the running water. Neil narrowed his eyes. "Oh, it's on now."

"Hey Neil," Herry started, ignoring the blonde's outer torment. "I don't suppose you know how to make coffee, do you?"

"Coffee? COFFEE!" He stood, growling at Herry. "I'm at risk of placing my million dollar hair in one of the most compromising situations EVER and all you can think of is…" He paused, a mischievous smile overtaking his face. "Coffee? You want coffee, do you?" Herry and Odie looked at each other, then back to Neil and nodded slowly.

"What's the catch?" Odie asked suspiciously. Neil ran past them, down the stairs.

"Catch? Why, nothing at all. If you want coffee, then I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have coffee." The two teens at the top of the stairs looked skeptically at each other, then shrugged and ran down after the blonde. By the time they were down, Neil had pulled out the coffee mix and was reaching for the coffee pot. He walked to the sink, and flipped up the tap, but instead of putting the coffee pot under the water, he let it run.

"Uh, Neil," Odie began. "Are you sure you know how to do this?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm just letting the water cool," he replied smoothly. He filled the coffee pot, but left the tap running. Herry and Odie exchanged confused looks.

"Neil, why are you leaving the water running?" Herry scratched his head.

He ran back to the foot of the stairs and cupped his ear. "Wait for it, wait for it…"

"_AAAAAUGH!_ _NEEEEILLLLL!"_

He patted himself on the back happily. "Am I good, or am I good?" He ran back up the stairs, leaving the two alone in the kitchen, water still running. Herry and Odie looked at each other and laughed.

"Boy, I am _never_ stealing his hot water," Odie said as he turned off the water and placed the fruit basket on the table.

"Tell me about it. But hey, at least we got our coffee." He paused to look around the kitchen. "So… where's the sugar?"

\\

Neil stood smugly outside the bathroom, watching small streams of steam sneak out through the crack at the bottom of the door. Despite his better judgement, he had decided to wash his hair in the sink because he knew there would be no hot water left by the time Theresa was done. Normally, he wouldn't have settled for such low treatment on his million-dollar hair, but the fact that it was stealing more of the hot water that she was using justified it. After a moment, the sound of running water stopped and Theresa stepped out in her housecoat. Her hair was longer than usual and straight, being weighed down by the water. Noticing Neil standing haughtily, she gave him a swat on the arm.

"Being a sore looser, are we?" She asked.

"I hope you've learnt your lesson." He stood, defiantly eyeing her. She eyed him back. Up until then, Neil had never noticed how unusually colored her eyes were. In all his years as a model, he had never seen such an uncommon color. _Green gray? _It gave him chills, but he wouldn't let her win the stare down over something like that. He could have sworn he felt his expression begin to soften, causing Theresa to give him a confused look, until a voice from down the stairs snapped them back to reality.

"Uhh..." They looked down the stairs to see Odie standing with his hands on his hips. "If you two are done staring at each other, you can come down for breakfast now." With that, he walked back to the kitchen shaking his head.

"Well," Neil sighed, "I'm hungry. So I'll let you off with a warning this time. Next time, you won't be so lucky." She shook off the weird feeling and laughed as she walked into her room.

"It's gonna' take more than a warning to chase me outta' this town."

"We'll see about that." Leaving it there, he walked down the stairs for some much deserved breakfast. Herry and Odie were sipping back their coffee gratefully and frying bacon. He walked to the fridge and poured the last of the orange juice into a cup. The smell in the air caught his attention as he sat down and eyed the greasy mess on the stove. _I am not eating that._

"No eggs?" Neil had grown accustomed to eggs and toast every other morning, and today was no exception. Especially with the alternative on the stove.

"We have eggs?" Herry looked through the fridge, flipper still in his hand, and pulled out a carton of eggs. "I don't know how I missed 'em. Can't have bacon with out eggs!"

"I'll say. There's no way I'm eating that grease," he replied, making a face as he pointed to the stove. Herry simply shook his head and began cracking the eggs.

"Yeah, well that 'grease', is one of the best tasting breakfast items on the planet," Odie stepped in. He took a piece from the plate to demonstrate.

Theresa walked down the stairs just as Odie lowered the piece of bacon into his mouth. "Gross! I think you just ate more fat than you did meat!" She opened the fridge, trying her best to ignore the greasy smell polluting the air.

"I told you it's disgusting," Neil repeated breezily.

"It's just cuz' girls don't like greasy food," Herry pointed out as he sat down with a plate full of bacon, then handed Neil a plate with two eggs. Odie joined him, rubbing his hands together.

"Guys," she poked her head out of the fridge. "Where's the orange juice?"

"Oh, you mean this orange juice?" Neil pointed to the glass in his hands. Before she could respond, he finished it off and sighed happily. "Yeah, that was good orange juice alright."

She closed the fridge forcefully and turned to the cupboard. Pulling out an orange press, she looked back at him and stuck out her tongue. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I'm sure mine will be much better." She set it on the table then sat down. Taking two oranges from the fruit bowl, she set to work making herself the juice. For a few minutes, everyone was quite, either busy eating or thinking. Neil, who had finished his eggs, was thoughtfully staring at Odie's hair. He decided to break the silence.

"Odie, when was the last time you got your hair cut?" Odie gave him a blank look, then finished off the last piece of bacon, much to Herry's disappointment.

"Neil, please don't start wi -"

"I'm just asking," he interrupted. "Because I bet I could fit…" he paused to squint at him. "defiantly more than five oranges in there." Odie got up, a little disturbed.

"Man, I think you've lost it. You totally need a hobby." He placed the plate that had held the bacon in the sink, then walked to the fridge for something to drink.

Having Odie's back to them, Herry and Neil exchanged mischievous looks and nodded. Herry walked towards Odie innocently, pretending to look for something in the fridge. Neil grabbed two oranges and placed a finger across his lips when Theresa looked up quizzically.

"Jeez, Herry," Odie wined impatiently. "Give me some room here. I'll be out in a sec and the fridge will be all yours." Herry looked at Neil for a signal, which he received in the form of a nod, then jumped at the teen in the fridge, pinning him to the floor. Odie squirmed, but was unable to put up any resistance against the brawn holding him down. When he saw the oranges in Neil's hands, he panicked.

"No, no guys!" He cried desperately. "Not the fro! Anything but the fro!" His tortures simply laughed. Neil was just about to worm one of the oranges into his hair when a voice startled everyone.

"_Odie! Odie pick up!"_ All attention turned to the demanding voice coming from Prm on the counter. Theresa, being closest to it, answered it.

"Jay? What's wrong?" Herry and Neil got off their victim and had gathered around Theresa to listen in. Odie lay on the floor, recovering for a moment, then got up, too. "We need you guys down town now. Cronus is causing some major problems."

"Problems?" They asked in unison.

"We don't have time for questions! Just get down here fast!" With that, the line went dead, sending the four heroes speedily out the door.


	3. Problem

"Herry we need to take a left… now!" The truck swerved madly to turn into the proper lane, barely missing a badly placed mailbox. Odie chuckled nervously and went back to typing at his lab top. "Sorry Herry. I just got the locations a few seconds ago." Theresa and Neil slowly let go of the seats they had been clinging onto for dear life while Herry murmured something under his breath. Neil huffed, feeling a little sick, but pulled out his mirror for a quick check up to take his mind off it. After all, nothing looked worse than being sick in front of other people.

Theresa shook her head and looked out the window. Seeing the familiar faces of their three teammates, she spoke up. "There they are! Herry, pull over and lets go!" The car screeched to a stop and they jumped out.

Neil felt his head spinning from the crazy drive. He sat down a moment, looking at their surroundings. Despite the fact they had seen the damage done the minute they reached the main street, it made him cringe seeing it up close now. Cars had been thrown into buildings, people were running in every possible direction screaming. Worst of all, giant spider-like creatures were rampaging the streets, minus the two Jay, Archie and Atlanta had been tackling.

Archie, finally noticing them gawking at the mess, rolled his eyes and groaned. "Are you just gonna' stand there and watch?" he yelled, obviously frustrated.

"And let you have all the fun?" Herry shouted. "I don't think so!" Pounding his fists together, he ran after one about to swing at a building, grabbing it and hurling it a few meters into the air, hitting the ground with enough force to knock it out for a moment. Running around its giant body, Theresa dashed after another one about to climb over a wall, leaving Neil and Odie to take on one preparing to use an old man as a toothpick.

"Neil! Distraction!" Odie called as he snuck around the other side of the beast.

"Why do I always have to be the- EEEEEEEeee!" Noticing Neil standing off to the side of it, the spider turned from its victim and towards him. It's fangs dripped with acid, and its eerie, red eyes glistened threateningly. Deciding that he didn't mind being the distraction after all, he ran around the side of a car and waved his hands around. "Over here, ugly! Oh yeah, that's right! I'm talkin' to you!" It's face twisted into an angry mess, and it let out and ear piercing scream. It began to charge at him, but suddenly twisted to the side and roared in pain. It fell over, stunned.

Odie stepped out from behind it holding his Pmr. "Easy as cake!" He grinned, gave his partner the thumbs up.

"Don't say that!" Herry groaned from somewhere over their shoulders. Jay had teamed up with Herry, who had managed to climb onto the back of a spider and was now riding it rodeo style. Archie and Atlanta had already taken down two, and were currently attacking a third. Atlanta was running circles around it and motioning for Archie to attack. With a loud crack, his Hephaestus whip was around the neck of the beast, pulling it towards the ground. It landed with a loud _thud, _causing the ground to shake violently, and Neil to falter a step as he ran to help Theresa. He stopped to regain his balance before running up to her.

Theresa, who had averted her prey's attention from the building to her, slid under it and jumped back up. She hadn't figured out how to take it down without damaging anything, but noticing Neil running towards her, an idea hit her.

"Neil, give me your mirror!"

"Well this is a change." He reached into his pocket, pulled it out and cleared his throat, ready to give the speech he received quiet frequently. "Theresa, this is hardly the time-" She snatched it from him with a smirk and jumped into the sunlight.

"Get ready," she yelled to him as she opened the mirror, sending a large bolt of light steaming from it. She threw him a rope and nodded towards the spider, whistling as loud as she could to get it's attention. The spider, rather flustered at the fact it couldn't seem to keep an eye on her for more than five seconds, turned and growled. The light from the mirror shone into its eyes, sending it blindly tumbling backwards. Satisfied, she shoved the mirror in her pocket and motioned to Neil to toss her the other end of the rope. Running opposite each other, they wound the rope around the staggering beasts' legs and tightened it.

"Alright, Neil, help me pull this guy down." Grabbing hold of the rope, they pulled back on it and then ran like crazy to avoid being squashed under the monster, who came tumbling down where they had just stood. Theresa stepped back, satisfied. "C'mon, let's go help the others." She ran to help Atlanta pull down another spider.

Neil was about to do the same, but noticing a puddle on the ground, stooped down to check his hair. _Perfect as always._ He sighed happily, but shivered suddenly as an uneasy feeling jolted through his stomach. He felt compelled to move from where he was standing, and when he saw a dark reflection behind him in the puddle, he ducked and rolled. Right through the puddle.

"Aww, man!" he stood groggily and shook his hands. "Now my hair _is_ ruined! And my designer shirt!" A sinister laugh snapped his thoughts back to the present. He turned uneasily to face none other than the god of time, a golden sickle held right where he had been only seconds ago.

"Ah, Neil. Still depending on your luck to pull you through, I see?" Neil vainly wished that he had a weapon at that moment. Not that he would necessarily know how to use it, but it would at least make him feel better. He began to back away, but his pursuer simply took to circling him. "You always were a good laugh, boy. It's really too bad what I have planned for you will put that to an end." He swung threateningly at him, barely missing his nose.

Neil yelped and felt his heart skip a beat, but continued their circling pattern. "Well," he began. "This is a new low for you, Cronus. Just gonna' try picking us off one by one? Giving up on real battles 'cuz you know you can't win?"

A low, venomous chuckle resonated from deep within the god's frame, sending another shiver down Neil's spine. Either he was beginning to see things, or Cronus momentarily duplicated. "Oh, believe me, Neil. This is going to be the most real battle you've ever fought." He lunged at the blonde with his sickle, who in turn, rolled the opposite way. "And your last."

Perhaps it was from all the rolling and sucking, but Neil began to feel light headed and queasy, seeing doubles of everything. He jumped back just in time to dodge a fist that would have broken his jaw. Noticing a pipe lying in the middle of the street, he ran to it and grabbed it tightly.

"Yeah, baby! Now look who's ready to fight!" He wrapped his hands tighter around the pipe. Looking back at the grimacing god, a thought hit him. _Who am I kidding! I can't do this alone!_ He was about to call for help when...

"Cronus!" He turned, relieved to see Jay, Herry and Theresa coming his direction. Cronus, realizing the opportunity at hand might be his only now that the others had joined, quickly whipped his sickle at the distracted model. It stuck him square in the right shoulder, slicing deep.

"Ahhh!" Shocked, Neil's hands instantly released the pipe and reached to his stinging wound. Seeing the weapon lodged into his shoulder was a living nightmare. He whimpered and fell to his knees, not ready to even think about removing the sickle, when it suddenly disappeared. Thankful it was gone and not caring to know how it had vanished at the moment, he grasped his gash tightly. A thick trickle of blood squeezed through his fingers. Again, he heard the sickening, deep laugh. It echoed through his head mercilessly until he forced it out.

"Neil!"

The queasy feeling he had felt earlier was getting stronger, as was the pain bolting through his shoulder. It made him feel like he was in a dream.

"Neil!" Theresa knelt down beside him and instinctively sat him up. He heard a tearing sound, then felt a cold hand on his. "Neil, I-I need you to let go for a minute." Bravely, he removed his hand from the wound. "I'm sorry, Neil, but I think your shirt is already r-ruined beyond repair," she compromised as she gently but firmly tore off the sleeve and upper shoulder of his soggy shirt. His miserable feeling disappeared when he felt warm liquid trickle down his chest. He reached out, clasping Theresa's free hand and cried out in pain. He could feel her hand trembling, but he was sure his was, too. Fearfully, she placed a hand on his cheek and moved a strand of murky hair out of his eyes. He watched helplessly as Jay, Herry, Archie and Atlanta cornered Cronus.

"Odie!" Theresa called. Turning, he looked from Theresa to Neil and gasped.

"What happened!?" he asked as her jogged over to her. The sight of blood made him feel sick, but he was more concerned with what had happened.

"Cronus. He sliced him pretty deep. Get the first aid kit from the truck!" Odie ran off quickly, glad to know that he could help without being near the blood.

Theresa could feel a sense of terror all around her. But she couldn't understand if it was coming from Neil or her. Neil's grip on her hand was getting tighter and tighter, draining the blood from her fingers. She looked into his eyes, and for the first time, she saw real, _raw_ fear. Not the 'run away screaming like a little girl' fear that she was used to.

She suddenly felt extremely grateful for Neil, yet a feeling that things were about to get worse overwhelmed her. For the moment, however, she chose to ignore the feeling. She released his hand, took the piece of her pant leg she had ripped off earlier, and wrapped it around his shoulder to apply pressure to the bleeding. "It's okay, Neil. You're going be fine. We'll get you to Chiron, and-"

"Theresa," Neil interrupted hoarsely. He pointed weakly behind her and grabbed her hand again. Before she could turn to look back, she felt her head yank backwards and Neil's hand tear from hers. Looking up, she fearfully realized that Cronus had a hold of her hair and was pulling her roughly across the pavement. Her mind went into a state of confusion and shock. Roughly, he gave her hair a good pull, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Theresa!" Jay, being the first to hear her cry, stood numbly. Archie's jaw dropped as he looked from the Cronus that he, Jay, Herry and Atlanta were fighting to the one grabbing Theresa by the hair.

"What the heck is going on here?" he snarled. Both Cronus' laughed in unison. Jay took a step towards the captive fighter, causing the god to materialized a sickle and hold it threateningly towards Theresa. Jay stepped back hesitantly, but didn't loose his determining glare.

"Cronus! Let her go and we'll settle this! It's me you want!" Remembering the clone behind him, he turned to him demandingly. "Now."

"Jay, you never change," he replied with a laugh. Brining his sickles up in a fighting stance, he charged at him. Herry, Archie and Atlanta stood helplessly, until Herry, not knowing what else to do, joined Jay.

"I can't get to her!" Jay shouted to Archie and Atlanta. Atlanta nodded, and took a step towards Theresa, but received the same result Jay did.

"Archie, what do we do?" Atlanta asked desperately. Archie slowly pulled out his whip.

"We fight." The clone-god simply laughed and raised a hand. Red waves of energy rushed from his fingertips at Archie and Atlanta, sending them flying through a wall. Theresa growled, but cautiously controlled her movements. The last thing she wanted was to come face to face with his weapon. She looked up hatefully at him, but he ignored her and turned his attention to the bleeding teen on the ground.

"My, Neil," he started. "It looks to me as though this is the end for you." He began walking slowly towards him, dragging Theresa by the hair. Neil looked up bitterly, steadied himself and carefully stood, holding on to a near-by car for support. The god continued, lightening his voice. "Well, it doesn't matter, anyway. You only ended up on the team because of the way the dice fell. They won't miss you, you know. I mean, they don't even need you. You're useless on this team. You're just the spare, Neil. The extra. The only thing you gave your 'friends', was a hard time. They always had to rush to protect you, like just now. I'm sure they'll be much better off without you."

"The prophecy!" Neil hacked back at him despite the pain in this chest. "I'm here because of the prophecy!"

Cronus swung his hand listlessly. "Even Oracles make mistakes."

"Don't listen to him, Neil!" Theresa argued. "He's lying! It's not true! We need you, Neil!" Her captor pulled her off the ground to face him. The sense of panic filled her again as he fastened one arm around her and brought the sickle closer to her neck. Neil's expression quickly changed from pain to anger. Cronus sneered.

"That's right, Neil. You don't want to see dear Theresa suffer, do you?" Theresa wormed to escape his grasp. He looked at her coldly for a moment, then smiled maliciously. "Yes, well, I suppose you should close your eyes." He raised his weapon over her, when he suddenly stopped and screamed.

"I don't think so!"

With a blinding flash, bolts of electricity sparked through him. Theresa ducked out of his grasp and backed away as he fell to the ground next to her. Everyone turned to watch as steam smoldered from his tunic. Pulling himself up to regain his composure, he muttered a few words under his breath and the two Cronus' quickly returned to one. He drew out a portal and slipped into it sullenly.

"That's right! You better run," Odie gloated as he placed the Pmr back in his pocket and bent down to help Theresa up. He had seen Cronus while he was running back with the first aid kit and had been waiting for the right moment to attack.

"Thanks, Odie. I thought..." She weakly turned to Neil, who had fallen to his knees again. "Odie, I need that kit and fast!" She moved back to him and clicked open the first aid kit. She removed the drenched piece of cloth and gently pushed another over the injury. Jay and Herry, having their enemy suddenly disappear, had run to get Archie and Atlanta up from the rubble. The four of them quickly came to help.

"How bad is he?" Jay asked as he bent down to pass Theresa another roll of cloth. Neil clutched at his shoulder, eyes tightly shut.

"Pretty bad!" Neil replied between clenched teeth.

"Chiron will know," Odie answered. "We need to get you two back to the school, now!"

Theresa looked up at him blankly. "What?"

"Theresa," Atlanta began. "Look at your leg!" Theresa looked down at her bloodied leg, shocked to see a red slit stretching from her ankle to half way up her calf. Now, she felt it sting.

"I- I didn't realize it was there. I don't even know how I got it…" She shook her head and hurriedly wrapped one last bandage around Neil's shoulder. He took hold of her hand again, taking deep breaths. "It's okay, Neil. You're going to be fine."

Before anyone could say anything else, Herry gently scooped up Neil. "Let's go!" He threw the car keys to Archie, who nodded and ran to the truck while Atlanta and Jay helped Theresa up.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Jay asked seriously. Theresa nodded her head and took a few steps to prove herself. Archie had taken his seat in the front after starting the truck. Jay stepped in beside him while Herry nervously placed Neil in the back between Atlanta and Theresa. Before they could strap on their seatbelts, Herry stepped on the gas and they roared off.

\\

"Chiron!" Jay was the first to burst through the doors. He bent down and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Chiron, who had been talking intently with Hermes, looked up and gasped when he saw Herry run in with an unconscious Neil in his arms.

"GAhh! Oh my gosh!" Hermes impulsively fell out of his seat in attempts to dash to Herry.

"What happened?" Chiron asked worriedly as he galloped down the stairs.

"Cronus," Jay panted. The others entered looking worried.

"Oh, my. Herry, set him on my couch. Hermes, go retrieve Hera immediately." Chiron ordered. Both quickly obeyed. Everyone gathered around Neil in restless silence. Chiron paced nervously back and fourth, looking from the window to the teens. Realizing that Neil wasn't the only one hurt, he spoke up.

"What has happened to your leg, Theresa?" He asked.

"I just scraped it…" A tense feeling filled the room and everyone went quite. Odie and Jay swapped nervous glances. Jay cleared his throat.

"Umm… actually, there was a-"

"Right in here!" Hermes burst through the doors suddenly with Hera behind him. Her calm, relaxed look faltered for a moment at the sight of Neil.

"Jay, what happened?" She asked with deep concern.

"He was distracted, Cronus threw his sickle and…" he stopped, knowing that she could put together the rest.

"Oh dear," she paused for a moment. "Chiron, we must inform Aphrodite. In fact, we should take him right to her. She will know how to treat him best." She walked over to Neil, bent down and checked his wound. She gently re-covered it and nodded to Chiron, who carefully picked up the unconscious boy and took him through the doors. Turning back to the six anxious teens, she cleared her throat.

"Neil will be fine, children. Aphrodite will know exactly what to do. He should be ready to visit by tomorrow. Until then, I want you all to be at the dormitory resting." She smiled reassuringly at them, but noticing Theresa, the smile disappeared. "Theresa, your leg?"

"It's fine. Really. I just scraped it."

Unconvinced, the goddess continued, her voice more grave. "Herry, please help Theresa to Persephone's solarium. I want her to have a look at the wound."

This time, everyone looked nervous. Herry mumbled a 'yes ma'am,' scooped up the redhead and slowly carried her out of the room.

"I will bring you a report on how Neil is doing later tonight," Hera called over her shoulder as she followed Herry and Theresa out the door. Everyone sat in silence until Herry returned. He cleared his throat uneasily.

"Guys… maybe we should call it a day." He looked from face to face for an answer. No one responded. He sat down next to Atlanta and sighed. They all seemed to be off in their own worlds. Finally, Jay stood and paced the room.

"This is my fault," he croaked.

Archie sighed. "Jay, don't beat yourself up. You know that you can't prevent things like these."

"I know, Archie. But today could have been the end. The end, Archie. Do you understand what that does to me? Do you know how that makes me feel!? Cronus came so close to finishing us, and I wouldn't have been able to do anything! What kind of leader lets that happen?"

"Jay-"

"He outsmarted me! Out witted me! I shouldn't let things like that even have a chance of happening. Obviously if I had been paying more attention to him I would have known that he'd try something like this!

"Jay-"

"What if I-"

"JAY!"

He jumped back, startled. Finally, he realized that Archie was now standing with his fists clenched. And he didn't look very happy.

"Jay, would you _shut up!_ This isn't your fault! Get over it!" Seeing the concerned look Atlanta was giving him, he sighed and took a deep breath before he continued. "How about you listen to Hera and go get some sleep. You were probably up all night anyway!"

"Yeah, well at least I've got a good reason to be up!" Jay argued back.

"Hey!" Odie barked. "Don't drag me into this!"

"Jay, you need-"

"Don't tell me what I need! I'm sick of hearing it! I know what I need; I need to be is a better leader!" He stormed out of the room before anyone could get another word in. Archie growled. He turned his back and walked hotly out of the room before Atlanta could get to him.


	4. Mind over Matter

**Wow. I forgot how much I hate trying to write summaries :|**

**So I decided to finally update this story, and I changed where I was originally gonna go with the story a tad... got some new ideas ;)**

* * *

Persephone's solarium had never felt so awkwardly silent to Theresa. She winced, grinding her teeth together as Persephone dabbed a cotton swab drenched in peroxide on the cut, which until that point, had dried.

"It's a good thing the wound is not too deep," Persephone spoke sullenly. "It could have been much more painful."

_More than you know._A shiver ran down her spine. She looked down at her leg, and to her surprise, felt a sob rise up in her throat. Swallowing it the best she could, she looked away from her mentor. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of her own teacher.

"Theresa?" The stinging silence drummed in her head, but she was determined not to look upset. "Theresa, dear, how did you say you got this injury?"

"I..." she mumbled. Slowly, carefully, she stood and walked to the other side of the room, Persephone's worried gaze following her. "Can… can I see Neil?"

"Theresa, you are not well. Please tell me what happened." She stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, leading her back to sit down. At her touch, Theresa felt her mind relax and a sense of peace flow over her. Almost in a trance, she followed her back to the couch and sat down next to her. "Now please tell me what happened. Whatever it is, I know it is upsetting you very much." She removed her hand from her shoulder and sat back. All former feelings of tranquility left Theresa as soon as Persephone released her.

"H-how did you do that?" Theresa asked breathlessly. Persephone raised an eyebrow, then smiled and nodded her head as if to answer her question.

"I will teach you one day. But _my_ question, Theresa?"

Theresa hesitated for a moment. "Cronus… he came so close to defeating us today. It's so scary... I've never been scared like that before. And then Neil getting hurt like that…" she groaned, slumping her head into her hands. "Jay is probably off in some dark corner bashing himself for it."

Persephone shook her head. "Theresa, Jason was exactly the same way. He took his quest very seriously, and so will Jay until his is complete. It runs through his blood just as it did his ancestor's." She reached for a tenser and wrapped it gently around her student's leg.

Theresa sighed, deciding to change the subject. "Thank you for helping me."

"That's one of the many things I am here for, dear," she smiled reassuringly at her. "The others are back at the dormitory now, though Hera has deemed it best for you to spend the night here should anything come up."

"What about Neil?"

"Neil will need to stay here a while. But depending on his condition and if he insists on going back to the brownstone, he may. We want his health to return quickly and in comfort."

"... he's going to be okay. Right?" She asked after a moment.

"Yes, of course Theresa." At that, she stood and walked over to the counter where everything she had used to treat her student's injury lay spread out. "Since you're going that way, I will have Aphrodite set you up somewhere comfortable to spend the night."

Looking up through the windows in the ceiling, Theresa realized for the first time that it was already dark out.

\\

Theresa pushed through the giant doors leading to Aphrodite's room. The goddess had dozed off in a chair next to the bed Neil was asleep in, but jumped when the door creaked. "Mrs. Aphrodite?" Theresa whispered hoarsely.

"Theresa!" she stood drowsily and tip toed down the stairs to meet her. Taking both of her hands in her own, she flashed a conceited smile. "Neil is doing fine. He's been sleeping ever since I cleaned out his cut. He just wouldn't sit still!" She yawned and continued. "I need you to do me a favor, will you?"

"Well-"

"I'm going to get Hermes to set you up with a place to sleep. I haven't been so tired since I don't know when! Be a dear and stay here with Neil for me? He's asleep, anyway, so you don't have to worry about him. If he wakes up, just tell him he needs to rest and that I'll be with him tomorrow. He's been kinda moody though... Oh, make sure he doesn't move around too much, I don't want him to start bleeding again."

"I was-"

"Great, thanks. Make sure he's covered up well and that he gets whatever he needs. Hermes will come get you when he's got everything set up, and if you need anything before then, just call one of my nymphs." With that, she was out the door, hips swaying.

Theresa shrugged and slowly stepped up the marble stairs to where Neil was laying. He looked just like he had earlier that morning: fresh, clean hair, glowing ivory skin. But instead of his casual black and white striped shirt, he wore a plain white shirt, making the bandage across his shoulder clearly visible underneath. His chest rose and fell gently with each breath. Mirroring the silence of the room, she sat down beside him, instinctively placing a hand on his cheek.

"He's freezing!" she whispered to herself. She reached for the blanket at the foot of the bed to cover him.

"Don't." His hand wrapped around her wrist and placed it back on his cheek, savoring the warmth of her hand. "I've had enough blankets, thanks. I'll settle for some company instead."

She smiled awkwardly. "You should be resting, you know."

"I don't think I'm going to get any more rested than this. I've been asleep almost all day," he stated matter-of-factly.

"How… how are you feeling?"

"Better. My shoul…" He downcast his gaze disconsolately. "Theresa… Cronus was right."

She practically jumped out of her seat at that. "Neil! Don't say that! This is Cronus we're talking about here. We need you on this team just as much as we need anyone else, no matter what he says. He's just trying to get you upset."

"And killed."

A small smile crept onto her face. "That's his job. Ours is to stop that from happening."

He frowned, suddenly looking much more serious. "Theresa, we almost lost you today."

She couldn't help but feel the strangeness of Neil's completely serious attitude. "Yeah... well you came pretty close yourself, you know."

Silence sang its song for a moment while their minds wandered. Theresa absently mindedly rested her elbow on the bed, keeping her other hand on Neil's cheek. Seeing Neil bandaged up and bruised, she couldn't bring herself to imagine how the day would've turned out if Cronus had had his way. It shook her inside.

To his surprise, Neil could feel the tension building in her. It built in his chest, too. "_That's weird..."_ he thought to himself. He cleared his throat loudly, aiming to get rid of the tense feeling. "I have a… serious question." The words seeped out slowly, shyly.

Shyly? Did that word even exist in Neil's vocabulary?

Feeling her eyebrow cock on reflex, she leaned in a bit. His tone was so unlike him. Naturally, she couldn't help but wonder what could jumble him up so much. "I'm listening." He looked away for a moment, then set his gaze on her. She could have sworn he was deep in thought until…

"Why in the name of Hades don't I have a weapon!?" His sly, playful smile lit his face back to its usually state, making her chuckle. "I'm serious," he jested, an insincere pout flashing across lips. "I'm starting to think my ridiculous good looks aren't enough to keep some of these goons from wanting to dismember me!"

Theresa couldn't help but laugh at this goofiness- leave it to Neil to crack a joke at a time like this. She was happy to see him laughing, though. Yet as she looked up into his eyes, she could almost see the laughter slowly draining from them. Something was wrong; something very off beat.

She stopped laughing. In the blink of an eye, her head spun and everything went white. Then orange. Then purple. Then every possible color at once, until a red flash snapped her back into reality. Startled, she fell backwards out of her chair, but when she opened her mouth to yell no sound came out.

Neil sat up a little too fast, earning a sharp pain through his weak shoulder. "Ah!" he winced, reaching for his bandage. "Jeez… talk about restricted movements here." Slowly, he reached out a hand to help her up.

"No, Neil," she felt breath rush back into her and stood quickly. "I don't want to put any strain on your shoulder." She placed herself back in the chair.

"Ohh jeez, are you okay Theresa? That looks like it's going to leave a nasty bruise..." he almost looked like he would cry. "I just hate bruises!"

"I'm... fine." She wrinkled her nose at his strange behavior. "It's _you_ that I'm worried about. Didn't you feel that? Or see it?"

"What? See what?" Now he looked nervous. She wasn't convinced, and he knew it. He pouted, glanced at this nails, looked about the room and made every possible attempt to avoid her skeptical look. "Gee," he shuddered. "I wonder what time it is…" Theresa was about to reply when a clang echoed from the door, startling both of them.

"Boy… You know it's late when ya' start flyin' into things," mumbled Hermes as he groggily fluttered through the door.

"What are you trying to do to me Hermes, give me a heart attack?!" groaned Neil, apt and strangely returned to his normal self.

"Nooo sir, I think you've both had enough heart pounding action today. It's time for rest, especially you Theresa," he gestured to the door. "Chiron has a place set up for you in his office, so you'll be there for the night."

"... Thanks Hermes." She shuffled her feet, unable to shake loose the feeling gripping her. Catching his gaze, she looked him in the eyes and he squirmed again. Hermes looked from Neil to Theresa, then back to Neil, examining the stare down. Deciding he didn't like the awkward silence, he spoke up.

"Well, you should probably get back off to sleep Neil. You need all the rest you can get."

Neil rolled his eyes. "Sure," he snorted, still trying to avoid the questioning looks Theresa was darting at him. Hermes flew back though the doors, leaving the two alone.

Seeing he wasn't going to say anything more, she finally looked away. She stopped at the door to turn out the lights, and after taking one more good long look at him, she flicked the switch, letting the gentle starlight fill in through the window.

"G'night Neil… I'll see you tomorrow."

"Theresa…"

She looked up, even though she could only see his silhouette. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for being there today- bandaging me up and stuff."

"Hey, anytime." A rough smile played her lips. But that look in his eyes haunted her every thought.

He watched her turn and slowly walk out with a sigh, then turned his attention to the window. He didn't know what was going on with himself any more than she did. One minute, everything was fine, the next he felt like he was fighting himself inside, tearing himself apart. And then he'd go right back to normal. He felt weak and stupid and hated it, and now that Theresa knew something was up, he hated it even more; ironic considering how much he loved himself. And attention. It was as though something was telling him to leave and never come back. But he would never do that; not that he wouldn't have anywhere to go. Any modeling agency would take him in a heartbeat. He just couldn't leave everything and everyone behind.

"What the heck is wrong with me! I'm Neil… I shouldn't be doubting myself." He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out his mirror. It clicked open, flashing back the perfect image in the dim light. "I mean, not only am I auspiciously lucky, I top it all off rather nicely with my perfect looks and charms." He slumped, placing the mirror on the desk beside him. "I'll bet Cronus is jealous! I mean not only is his style thousands of years outdated, he- Aah!"

His shoulder suddenly itched madly. "Stupid cut," he groaned. "Great, not only is this going to leave a nasty scar, but now its itchy and I can't even scratch it!" Frustration was bubbling inside of him. "Agh! Cuts aren't supposed to be freakin' itchy!" He rubbed it as gently as he could so not to hurt himself. But it wouldn't stop. "Arrrg! This is going to drive me crazy!" Cringing, he gave it a good, hard rub and slumped back down into the bed in attempts to grasp at sleep.

Hearing something drop, he rolled his head over wearily to see his mirror laying on the floor. Panicked, he sat up again and took it into his hands. "Ahh! I can't have a broken mirror! What if I lose my luck? A-And I need to check my reflection." Turning it over and finding it to be in perfect condition, he let out an awkward laugh. "Weird... how did that fall, anyway?"

Had he looked up, he would have seen several objects floating around the room. It wasn't until he had placed the mirror back down and got comfy that everything fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"What the heck?!" He jumped, looking around the room but unable to see anything and wincing in pain. "Alright Neil, now you're really going crazy. Hearing things... Jeez."

He rolled and tossed and turned, all very carefully. But whenever he started to feel settled, the feeling would pounce on him, shaking him up. Minutes felt like hours; nothing seemed real. He felt depressed and angry. Then he felt content enough to give himself a quick manicure. Then he felt miserable. This carried on till it got the point where he felt like pulling out his hair. Or conditioning it. Finally, the darkness blew its gracious kiss and blotted out everything.

Or so he thought.

\\

He could feel it all. Heck, he could practically taste it. Perhaps it was because he had become so evil and exposed himself to so much hate that over time, he had gained the ability to sense the mortals' related emotions. And tonight, there was one mortal whose emotions were felt strongly. Very strongly.

The disappointment, confusion, anger, pain, fear; It was perfect. "Surprising how such a simpleton can suddenly become so very complex and troubled. And how convenient…" he chuckled. "How perfectly convenient, Agnon."

The giant watched as his master held out his hand, summoning the sickle he had used earlier that day. It appeared in a spark of dark flashes and fire. "I know things didn't turn out quite the way I planned... As they never seem to..." He trailed off, sneering. But with a sudden change of heart, he continued.

"He doesn't even realize what he's given me!"

He could sense the feelings growing, becoming faster, swirling, crashing into each other. Cronus slid his finger along the flat side of his weapon, swiping off a smudge of red residue and rubbing his fingers together. Blood.

Perfect.

"Truly interesting creatures, aren't they? Mortal's thoughts control them; they drive them to do simply fascinating things." He glanced at his minion. "See, it seems to me that what is on the inside," he held the stained finger up in the murky light to examine it, "can become the worst of enemies for them."

Low chuckles echoed through his lair as he set to work.

\\

Theresa had never understood why her senses didn't kick in while she was sleeping, especially her sixth one. But luckily for her, she wasn't a heavy sleeper, and little noises would wake her up, like, say a…

_CRASH!_

She jolted up sloppily, looking around the room through blurred eyes.

"Chiron? Is that you?"

The room was so dark she could see nothing. But she could definitely sense something. "Hermes? Hera?" The carpet was soft on her feet when she sung her foot around. but when she put pressure on her leg, it stung and protested. Slowly, she slid off the bed and hobbled around blindly in attempts to find the light switch. Her head was going wild. He leg was throbbing. And she could feel the presence of another person.

At least she hoped it was a person. Who knew what could possibly dwell in the house of the gods?

"Who's there?" she called again.

Panic jolted through her as the presence shifted closer. Her leg stung, but she was too anxious to tend to it. She brushed a wall with her fingers, feeling for a light switch. Now realizing where she was, followed it to where she knew the switch would be. But before she could get there, she fumbled right into something.

Something with hands. No, it was a person. A man. Grabbing her, he placing a hand over her mouth before she could scream or speak. She couldn't tell who it was because of the dark, and knowing she was in a bad position, she attempted to flip the person over her shoulder. But her leg threw her off balance and the figure countered the movement so that he held her from behind.

"Hey there pretty lady," he breathed into her ear. "Wanna get outta here?"

Her panic subsided to shock. "N-Neil?"


	5. Gone with the Wind!

In the dead silent of the night, Neil slipped into the Brownstone's hallway. Holding Theresa unconscious over his shoulder, he crept up the stairs soundlessly. He set her down at the head of the stairs to take to his… business. He stood at Jay's door in silent thought for a moment, then shook his head. _No, he'll be last. _Looking down the hall, his eyes landed on Herry's door. _That's more like it…_

The door opened silently and he walked in. Placing a hand on Herry's chest, he closed his eyes and focused hard. Harder than anything in his entire life. Gentle flints of yellow sparks emerged from Herry's body and drifted onto the platinum blonde, all without making a sound, all without waking the sleeping brawn. Grinning, he savored the new surge of strength coursing through him.

Closing the door silently behind him, he grinned. "It'll be a little easier to carry you around now, doll." He picked Theresa up effortlessly and opened the door to Archie's room.

He proceeded in the same way he had with Herry, but this time he felt his eyes roll back in his head as indigo sparks settled over him. Stepping away from the sleeping warrior and over to his wall mirror, he could tell in the dim light that his eyes had taken on a much different hue. Adrenaline surged through him. "I always thought I had the heart of a warrior," he grinned to the incoherent girl over his shoulder as he stepped out the door.

But just as he was about to open Atlanta's door, a noise from inside one of the rooms froze him. Hearing footsteps, he groaned inwardly. _Well, I could have used the speed and IQ of 200 right now… _Backing up, he took off silently down the stairs._ I suppose I can do without. _He slipped out the back door into the cool night air.

_For now._

All but a second later, Jay poked his head out his door. "Huh?" He scanned the blinding darkness for a moment with an arched eyebrow. "I must be hearing things." He rubbed his forehead. "Back to counting sheep..."

Yes, Neil's luck never fails.

\\

The next morning when Jay walked out of his room, the dorm was painfully silent. He knew everyone was already downstairs because he had heard them all talking earlier. But as he walked down the stairs, the silence was broken by the sound of a chair scraping against the kitchen floor. Turning the corner just in time to see Archie walking away from the table where everyone sat looking at their feet, Jay cleared his throat.

"Hold on a sec Archie," he began patiently. "I want to have a quick team meeting."

"Yeah well we're a few team members short," he replied slowly, trying to keep from bursting out. Bags ran under his eyes, and he looked particularly drained of energy.

"Can we go see them?" Atlanta jumped to the question everyone had been wondering.

"Why don't we all eat first?" Jay's parenting authority kicked in.

"Not hungry," Archie mumbled as he dragged his feet back to the table. He dropped down next to Atlanta, who also agreed she had no appetite. Everyone, even Herry, seem to have no appeal to eat.

Jay placed his head in his hands, massaging his temples rhythmically. "Hey, look," his eyes were searching each titan's face pensivly for something nobody understood. "I'm sorry about last night. I just-"

"Jay I swear, if you start again…" Archie growled.

"Cool your jets, man!" Odie defended.

"Just let him talk, Arch," Atlanta placed a hand on his shoulder, getting a deep sigh from him as a reply.

Jay waited for an objection, but when none came, he continued. "I'm... I'm sorry for what I said last night. I was scared, and mad at myself. I still am. But I've decided to put this anger to good use." A few eyebrows rose as he sat silent.

"What'd ya mean?" Herry's question rolled out slowly.

"I think we should-"

He was cut short by his beeping Prm. Hands jumping to his pocket in mere mili-seconds, he whipped the screen to his face.

A rather nerve-racked Hermes looked back at him through the device. "Guys, you need to get down here as soon as you can…" He laughed nervously.

"What happened?" Jay's face flushed white.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news- not that I'm usually anything else- but Neil is missing, and so is Theresa!"

"What?!" came confused shouts around the table.

Odie, quick to logically explain the impossibilities, scratched his head thoughtfully. "Medically speaking, Neil shouldn't even be able to walk for another couple days... And-"

"We'll be there right away." Jay was already through the door way, the others right behind.

\\

"So," Archie stepped over the broken glass on the floor to examine the shattered window, "you're telling me someone kidnapped them?"

Hera sighed. "I am not sure what happened. If they were kidnapped, then that would mean there is a traitor in the house of the gods, which is simply not plausible." She sat on a couch, upright and calm on the exterior. Persephone sat beside her while Hermes nervously paced in circles above them.

"What about Gerry?" Odie asked suspiciously.

"Trust me, he has been dealt with," Persephone glared threateningly. "He is no longer a concern to us."

Herry quickly changed the subject before the situation, more specifically Persephone, got ugly. "Uhh, maybe they were sleepwalking?" He scratched his head, looking from the broken vase on the floor to the broken window.

Aphrodite suddenly burst through the doors, Chiron following at a safe distance. "My room is a disaster!" she seethed, arms flying through the air. "And I know Neil would never destroy my products and valuables on purpose!"

Jay snapped his fingers, eyes flashing. "Aphrodite, your nymphs must have seen something."

"They saw something alright," she steamed. "But they didn't bother to stop whatever is was from tearing my room apart!" She placed herself on a chair in a huff.

"What did they see?" Jay asked hopefully as he took a seat beside her.

"Oh, I don't know. They said something about a white flash, a bunch of colors everywhere and something about my things floating around the room. Then apparently everything went back to normal and Neil was gone." Her shoulders slumped, as if realizing for the first time what had happened. "Oh Neil darling…"

Hermes spoke up. "They seemed fine when I saw them last night. And nobody heard anything after I saw them off, which I find very strange considering everything that's been broken."

"I'm afraid he is right," agreed Chiron. "I myself heard not a sound thought the night."

Odie stoked his chin. "We have some sort of factor explaining Neil's disappearance, but what about Theresa?"

"Augh! None of this is making sense!" Atlanta crossed her arms. "Can't you just-" she blinked. "Odie, you can track them!"

He grimaced. "Doubt it. Theresa's Pmr is here and I don't think Neil would have his."

"_Try_," Jay ordered a little too sharply, plunging the room into a cold silence.

Hera finally cleared her throat. "Children, go back to the dormitory and see if you can track them down. We will let you know if anything comes up."

As everyone was getting up to leave, Atlanta pulled Jay aside. "I'll track them." Her eyes flashed with determination. "I can do it."

Jay looked at the floor. "Atlanta I _can't_ just sit around and do nothing to help. I'm coming."

"So am I," Archie grinned.

"Count me in," Herry said, Odie nodding in agreement.

"Alright, let's get moving then," Atlanta called over her shoulder as she jumped out the broken window.

\\

When Theresa awoke, she wished she hadn't. Not only was she freezing cold due to the light tank top and shorts had been nabbed in, but seeing the ground so far below her flying by while she hung over a some man's shoulder was not exactly her idea of a good morning.

"AHHHHH!" She screamed, squirming down fearfully to cling to whoever had dragged her into this, accidentally throwing him off balance from his... roof hopping?

"What in the world are you- ! Who are you-?"

_Ooof!_

They landed with a hard thud on the roof he had been jumping over at amazing heights. Theresa, still clinging to the man for dear life, landed on top of him rather uncharacteristically. When the dizziness left her, she realized exactly where she was and felt a hot blush tint her cheeks. As if not ruffled in the slightest by the fall, Neil looked up at her coyly, hands comfortably behind his head. They were so close she was sure he could feel her heart pounding.

"Getting cozy, I see?"

"I… I-I.." she stuttered, confused and now embarrassed. His warm breath tickled cheek, and for a minute, she was breathlessly paralyzed, face to with him. _What's the matter with me? _Then a more important question suddenly hit her, although she couldn't properly voice it. "Your… your eyes…"

He smiled, his face inching closer to hers. Baffled, she stared into his lively violet eyes, wondering where the dark grey had gone. "Like em'?" Flashing her a wink, he scooped up the dazed, confused and very red cheeked Theresa.

Then it all came back to her.

"Neil, what's going on?" She pushed him away to look him over. "What you're doing is dangerous! Even walking is dangerous for you right now, never mind jumping from- NEIL!"

Tossing her and her protests over his shoulder, he began a dash to the edge of the building. Seeing the ledge, Theresa's blood ran cold, even more so when he made a flying leap off and went sprawling through the air, earning a good scream from the petrified girl. She clung to him as tight as she could and a sly smile spread across his lips.

"What were you saying?" he laughed, hitting the rooftop running.

Being jolted along with him and too confused to intervene, she opted to reasoning as her only way to stop his unstoppable and unfathomable feats. "How are you doing this? And why? I mean, you're Neil, not the Incredible Hulk!"

"You underestimate me, darling."

She scoffed. "What in the world has gotten into you? You were almost killed yesterday! You shouldn't be moving at all!"

"You mean that little scratch?" He laughed as he jumped from the next ledge, but the wind tore the sound from her ears.

_Little?_

Hitting the ground again, Theresa couldn't help but gawk. At everything. What was going on here? Had she just imagined last night and the fight with Cronus? Or was this a really, really twisted dream? Curiously, she looked down at the bandage under his shirt and pressed her hand on his shoulder where the sickle had sunk in. His running came to a sharp, sudden halt. He looked around at her, eyes like a machine; cold, lifeless, dark.

She took a nervous breath. "Neil..."

Suddenly, a tear rolled down his cheek and his grip on her loosened. He slouched, then nearly collapsed, bringing Theresa down with him. A procession of jumbled words flowed from his lips as he lay on the rough surface, gripping the very confused girl in his arms. He sobbed and sobbed, refusing to let go of her.

"N-Neil? What's wrong?" He buried his face in her long, wind-tossed tangerine hair. Growing more and more confused by the second, she patted him on the back slowly, lost for what else to do. Adrenaline she didn't know she had was pumping out slowly, leaving behind a sick feeling.

"Who am I Reese?" he wallowed between breaths, finally able to form a sentence. "Just... just make it stop! Please! Please make it stop!"

"Make what stop?" Her head spun in time with her stomach. Placing a hand on his head, a vision suddenly clouded her eyes: Surrounded by darkness, a drop of liquid dripped from a sickle over a small pool of water. The water was clear, reflecting things the darkness around it wouldn't reveal. But everything was so fogged with confusion and anger and pain that she couldn't see what it was reflecting, or anything more; just that one drop of red in a rippling mirror.

When she could see again, Neil was still sniveling in her arms, quieted from his previous outburst. She couldn't help but fell pity for him. He didn't know what was going on any more than she did.

"I don't know what's happening Neil… but I'll bet your luck Cronus has something to do with this." She sighed. "C'mon, lets get back to the Brownstone. Everyone must be worried sick about us."

Neil suddenly shot up, tears and sniffles gone. That cold look was back. "What are we doing sitting here!?" He was fuming, vivid. "We need to get moving, _NOW!_" He stood, glaring at her. "Move!"

Her head snapped back in confusion. "But-"

"Do I have to do everything myself?" he groaned, picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder again. "Honestly Theresa, you make this so much harder than it needs to be."

"Neil," she demanded a little more firmly. "What are you doing?"

"WE," he began, his feet picking up speed. "Have places to go. People to see. People not to see."

Despite her discomfort at being thrown around like a rag doll, she felt a sinking feeling that she would be going no where near the Brownstone any time soon.


End file.
